A minister seeking the true, good, and beautiful.

I’ve recently heard that a remake of Beauty & the Beast is forthcoming, starring Emma Watson (Harry Potter) and Dan Stevens (Downton Abby). I won’t lie, this was one of my favorite Disney cartoons when I was younger. However, I have only recently heard that this remake contains a gay character/scene in it, and as you can imagine, the religiously affiliated have been outspoken.

I confess that I do hate that social trends are finding their way into movies that one might surmise are geared towards children. That notwithstanding, this, as with any film, is one that any person can choose not to attend. There’s no need to make an outspoken statement, and those that do ought, I think, to pull the plank out of their eye if, in fact, one exists.

Perhaps not everyone, but I’d suggest that a decent portion of those expressing moral outrage watch programs wherein adultery and fornication is common. So why the outrage at a homosexual scene, one might ask? Part of the reason is that anyone might assume that such a flick would naturally seek children as its audience. As such, the material of homosexuality shouldn’t infiltrate anything that finds children as an audience. I’d agree with this, but here’s a stipulation: what am I already allowing my kids to see, play, and listen to by way of entertainment?

Do my kids watch programs where name-calling is present? Do I approve, or better yet, does God approve of name-calling? What about programs where children are rebellious toward their parents? Is God pleased with this? I’m sure you know that the answers to these are a resounding “no,” and if you need any help, look up Ephesians 4:29 on the former and Matthew 15:4 on the latter. Of course, we’re willing to tolerate these in the name of entertainment because we don’t consider them to be overly large sins.

However, do we truly believe that if our children watch a homosexual scene that they’ll somehow turn out to be homosexuals? Some might. I think we ought to remember that they are not a category, but people who, like us, were made in God’s image. I don’t advocate seeing this particular movie, but I’m not going to go around and being outraged and voicing my outrage at Hollywood. After all, Hollywood, is, well, Hollywood. Has my head been so buried in the sand that this is a surprise to me?

Any media—movies, television, radio, etc.—contains material unsuitable for children and adults, especially if we profess to be Christians. As much as Christians mock and roll our eyes over the liberal outrage, safe spaces and the cry-babying that goes on, I think it’s time to heed our own advice and stop throwing our own tantrums. Stop being hypocritical if you watch media where other sinful sexual acts take place. Cease to be outraged as if you’re surprised by this kind of material that comes from a sector of our society notorious for such things.